Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

"Any evil that dares to harm the lord shall die."

With a bared smile, Ain placed her hands on the ground like beast's paws, causing cracks to appear on the unfinished cement floor. In the sunlight, the girl seemed to transform into a golden ray of light as she charged straight toward Matt.

In a panic, Matt hurriedly summoned three tentacles to defend himself, but under Ain's powerful blow, the tentacles, which had been intertwined to form a shield, crumbled at the first touch.

Just as Ain's hand was about to pierce Matt again, another tentacle of Matt's was completed, pulling Matt away from the beast girl in front of him.

"Damn it, these 'lackeys'..."

Matt gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. As a seasoned "Skin Changer," Matt was well aware of the path that "Minions" shared with him. He had even personally replaced a "Minion," seizing the other's identity, memories, and even the entire body. The octopus tentacles he was using now were remnants of that "Minion."

Even so, he was still surprised by the girl in front of him.

He wasn't completely ignorant of this girl; he had previously obtained information about Ain from the mortal sniper. However, the girl in the sniper's memory was a complete rookie, possessing talent and strength but lacking training. Matt believed that even if she appeared here, she couldn't possibly escape his notice.

But the fact is that in just a few days, this girl has grown to this extent.

What kind of genius or monster is she?

Tentacles reached into Matt's chest cavity, filling and repairing the wounds inflicted by Ain. Thanks to the replaced "minion" that habitually mimicked an octopus, Matt wouldn't die immediately from his shattered heart.

However, the damage this attack caused to his body will still affect his movements, and repairing the wound will require more of his energy. If Matt were in a healthy state, even just this one clone would be enough to deal with the "minions" in front of him, but now everything is in doubt.

This is getting tricky. Should we run? Maybe I should merge with another clone and then deal with these guys...

Matt was thinking this when Ain's attack came again.

The silver-white girl, like a hybrid of a feline and a gecko, climbed the pillars and walls of the abandoned building with almost no difficulty. Whenever she found an opportunity, she would gather her strength and attack Matt like bowling balls. If Matt lost focus, he would be in danger of suffering another devastating blow.

Damn it.

Matt cursed as he was hit repeatedly, then gritted his teeth and bit off a section of his little finger.

The bloody wound didn't contain a broken finger bone; instead, it held a smooth, gem-like stamp. Without hesitation, Matt shoved the stamp into his neck.

Immediately following the fading of the gem seal, the previously incomplete tentacle array advanced significantly in an instant. Several tentacles extended from all directions and, under Matt's incantation, transformed into different weapon shapes.

These tentacles, now altered in mindset, moved with greater speed and unpredictability than before. Ain, lunging at Matt, was caught off guard when a tentacle wrapped around his ankle, sending him flying.

"You tender young beast, you are no match for me."

Matt grinned as if to vent his frustration, but inwardly he felt an immense pang of heartache.

This was originally intended to be used against that old bishop. Even though he had prepared to sacrifice this clone for this test, he still felt extremely regretful that this precious spell was wasted due to an unexpected sneak attack.

But since we've already used them, we have to leave them all here!

Ayn had already gotten up and tore the tentacle that was wrapped around her ankle to shreds with a single claw. Her small face was covered in dust, and her clothes were torn, but her expression remained resolute. Her ruby-like eyes were fixed on Matt, as if she were looking at prey or someone about to be judged.

In response, Matt once again commanded his tentacles to attack Ain.

Having witnessed Ain's cat-like agility, Matt no longer chose to let the tentacles fight independently this time. Instead, he had the ten tentacles, which he could control simultaneously, intertwine to form a large net, enveloping Ain from all directions.

Ain looked around, clearly aware of the threat posed by this vast net. But long ago, Ain had become accustomed to this kind of pursuit through her battles of wits and courage with those white-robed figures, and now, having been bestowed a title by the lord, she possessed truly formidable power.

"I am the Silver Knight, and the Silver Knight cannot be defeated."

Ein murmured to herself, then suddenly exerted force with her legs, propelling her body forward. Her enhanced body twisted nimbly, and her frail physique actually proved to be a positive force, allowing Ein to slip through the mesh of the net at the last moment before it could contain her.

Ain set her sights on Matt again.

At this moment, the man is no longer protected by tentacles; if it were now, he could be killed.

So she turned around and tried to charge at Matt again, but Matt just smirked at the threat.

The tentacles that had been tangled behind Ain untied and scattered at lightning speed, appearing in front of her at a speed she had never expected, like an unshakable mountain or an insurmountable wall, pressing down on her.

There's no escaping it this time!

Despite realizing this, Ain remained fearless. Since the tentacles insisted on blocking her way, she would tear them all apart, just like before.

She reached out her claws toward the giant net of tentacles in front of her, but unexpectedly, the intertwined tentacles now had a more complete and stable structure than before, and possessed a stronger ability to withstand pressure.

Ayn's attack failed to achieve its purpose; instead, she was caught in the web of tentacles.

"I told you, young beast, you can't beat me. You seem to like calling yourself a knight, but knights need experience and training, which is exactly what you lack. You're far from qualified."

Beyond the net, Matt's mocking voice rang out. This struck at exactly what Ain was most concerned about. She tried to retort, but the tentacles that had already bound her body merely pressed down, rendering her unable to utter a sound.

She tried to move her limbs and break free of her restraints, but the tentacles around her only tightened their grip, pressing her down so she could not move.

She became increasingly sentimental, and at that moment, Matt, who was outside, dropped another bombshell.

"Incompetent cub, you can do nothing, you can't protect anything. And this isn't because you lack strength, but because you're too reckless and inexperienced. Dying here is your best end."